Who are you? When you start to explore this question, you find out how elusive it really is. Are you a physical body? A collection of experiences and memories? A partner to relationships? Each time you consider aspects of yourself, you realize that there is much more to you than any of these can define.
In this book, spiritual teacher Michael Singer explores the question of who we are and arrives at the conclusion that our identity is to be found in our consciousness, the fact of our ability to observe ourselves and the world around us. By tapping into traditions of meditation and mindfulness, Singer shows how the development of consciousness can enable us all to dwell in the present moment and let go of painful thoughts and memories that keep us from achieving happiness and self-realization. Divided into five parts, the book offers a frank and friendly discussion of consciousness and how we can develop it.
In part one, he examines the notion of self and the inner dialogue that all of us live with. Part two examines the experience of energy as it flows through us and works to show readers how to open their hearts to the energy of experience that permeates their lives. Ways to overcome tendencies to close down to the rest of the world are the subject of part three. Enlightenment and the embrace of universal consciousness are the subject of part four. And finally, in part five, Singer returns to daily life and the pursuit of "unconditional happiness." Throughout, the book maintains a light and engaging tone, free from heavy dogma and prescriptive religious references. The easy exercises that figure in each chapter help readers experience the ideas that Singer presents.
About the Author
Michael A. Singer is the author of the New York Times bestseller, The Untethered Soul, which has also been published in Turkey, Brazil (in Portuguese), Switzerland (in German), Spain, Japan, China, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Poland, and Italy.
Singer received a master's degree in economics from the University of Florida in 1971. During his doctoral work, he had a deep inner awakening and went into seclusion to focus on yoga and meditation. In 1975, he founded Temple of the Universe, a now long-established yoga and meditation center where people of any religion or set of beliefs can come together to experience inner peace. Through the years, Singer has made major contributions in the areas of business, the arts, education, healthcare, and environmental protection. He previously authored two books on the integration of Eastern and Western philosophy: The Search for Truth and Three Essays on Universal Law: Karma, Will and Love.
Industry Reviews
"East is East and West is West, but Michael A. Singer bridges these two great traditions in a radiant treatise on how to succeed in life from our spiritual quest to our everyday tribulations. Freud said that life was composed of love and work. With great eloquence, wit, and compelling logic, Singer's brilliant book completes this thought by showing them to be two poles of the same selfless devotion."
--Ray Kurzweil, National Medal of Technology recipient and author of The Singularity Is Near
"This is a seminal book that quite frankly is in a class by itself. In a simple, yet paradoxically profound way, Michael A. Singer takes the reader on a journey that begins with consciousness tethered to the ego and ends having taken us beyond our myopic, contained self-image to a state of inner freedom and liberation. Michael A. Singer's book is a priceless gift to all who have futilely searched and yearned for a richer, more meaningful, creative life."
--Yogi Amrit Desai, internationally recognized pioneer of modern yoga
"The Untethered Soul is a brilliant treatment of the path of spiritual consciousness. It is clearly and powerfully written. Michael A. Singer provides a firm step for those on a spiritual journey."
--Abdul Aziz Said, professor of peace studies and chair of Islamic Peace at American University
"The Untethered Soul is indeed one of the finest treatments of the nature and practice of the conscious use of consciousness that I have ever read.... It is the clearest statement I know of who we are and what we face in our emerging humanity."
--Jean Houston, philosopher, psychologist, and author of A Mythic Life and Passion for the Possible
"Deep spirituality is within your reach in this book. In it you will find the mirror to see your unconditional, holy self. If you look for practical spirituality not encumbered by credo and ritual, read this book."
--Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, coauthor of Jewish with Feeling and From Age-ing to Sage-ing
"In lucid, unadorned prose, Michael A. Singer delivers the essence of the great spiritual teachings of the Ages. Each chapter of The Untethered Soul is an instructive meditation on the binds of the human condition and how each and every knot can be gracefully untied so that our souls may fly. The accuracy and simplicity of this work is a measure of its pure mastery."
--James O'Dea, past president of the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS)
"In the book The Untethered Soul, Michael A. Singer takes you step-by-step through the process of Gyana, the yoga of the Intellect, to the Source. Moreover, he does it with elegant simplicity. Read this book carefully, and you will get more than a glimpse of eternity."
--Deepak Chopra, author of Life After Death: The Burden of Proof
"Michael A. Singer has opened my mind to an entirely new dimension of thought. Through The Untethered Soul, I have been challenged both psychologically and intellectually in a new and exciting way. It may take more than one reading and many hours of introspection, but The Untethered Soul is a must-read for anyone in search of greater understanding of themselves and of the truth."
--Louis Chiavacci, senior vice-president of Merrill Lynch, ranked in Barron's top fifteen US Investment Advisors
"Psalm 42:8 says, 'Deep calls unto deep.' Within each human soul there is a longing for more, and the thirst can be quenched only by God. In The Untethered Soul, Michael A. Singer helps the modern person who is seeking this experience to come to a better understanding of the action in their soul. I highly recommend this reflection of one soul to another on the journey."
--Fr. Paul Wierichs, CP, director of the Passionist Monastery and Spiritual Center of Our Lady of Florida
"This publication has released boundless joy for the hungry souls of the world."
--Ma Yoga Shakti Saraswati, founder of Yogashakti International Mission and recipient of Hinduism Today's Hindu of the Year 2000 award
